When did the Tiger's Young Ones Teach the Dam?
by Standbackufools
Summary: "As it turns out, keeping wolves as pets runs in Regina's family. And Red's." Cora gets herself a new pet. Told from Regina's point of view.


**Title:** When did the Tiger's Young Ones Teach the Dam?

**Pairings:** Black Bitch (Cora/Anita), implied Black Captain and Captain Bitch (Hook/Anita) and a smidgeon of Red Queen

**Summary:** As it turns out, keeping wolves as pets runs in Regina's family. And Red's.

**Rating:** T, I guess? Some implied non-con and dominance stuff

_A/N: So… this is a funny story. A while back I submitted a prompt to_siddymouche _asking for a fic in which Cora tames Anita. Then I took the prompt back. This is also semi-inspired by a scene from Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. ….Enjoy?_

_Also, it should be obvious from the get-go, but this is very AU._

…

* * *

Regina's favorite color was red. She was five, a perfectly respectable age, she told herself, for a young lady to be fully capable of making such a decision. But not just any shade of red; a deep, dark red. Red like Mama's necklace. She loved Mama's necklace.

She'd been caught staring at it just before her magic lesson, and Mama smiled and took it off, dangling it before her. "Do you like my necklace, Regina?"

"Yes, Mama. I like it very much," Regina replied, the epitome of manners even at five. Mama would have nothing less, of course. She didn't dare reach for it, not without permission, though her eyes stayed riveted to the gems; the way they glittered, catching the light in every facet of stone.

"These are rubies, dear," Mama told her,"They are called the king of all gemstones."

"They should be the Queen," Regina nodded with the solemn surety of a child. "Queens are better than kings."

Mama smiled at her. "Indeed they are."

Regina continued to look at the stones, watching the way they almost seemed to glow. As if…. "Are your rubies magic, Mama?"

"Yes, dear. They help protect me from anyone who might want to hurt me."Mama leaned forward, re-clasping the rubies behind her neck, careful not to snag them on her hair. "When you're a bit older and stronger, my dear, I shall give you something to protect you, like my necklace, for your very own."

Regina's smile nearly lit up the room, and Mama caressed her cheek fondly before lightly guiding her to the center of the chamber to begin.

Their magic lesson continued for several hours. By the third, Regina was exhausted and strained, though desperate not to show it. Determined not to reveal her weakness in front of her mother, Regina warded off wave after wave of her mother's magic, turning each enchantment into flowers, or butterflies, or in one case, seven notes of music. But her fatigue was showing nonetheless, each attack getting closer and closer to her before being blocked. Her mother never appeared tired, never faltered in her own powers, and Regina gritted her teeth and forced herself to continue. One day, she vowed, she would be as strong as Mama.

Regina could not help but nearly sigh with relief when the doors to their practice room suddenly thundered open, nearly bursting off their hinges. Mama froze in her attack, turning to face the door and whatever idiot (her mother's words- she'd heard them used over and over again) had been fool enough to dare disrupt their lesson.

It was the man with the scratchy face and the pointy hand. Regina didn't care for him, much. Mama had told her once that he was useful, so she allowed him to stay and get away with things Mama normally didn't normally let people get away with. But right now, Mama looked angry. She waved her hand and the scratchy-faced man was pushed back into the frame of the door he'd nearly broken. She almost felt bad for him; she hated it when Mama bound her like that. But he didn't seem to mind much. Maybe he'd been expecting it. "Cora," he greeted pleasantly.

Behind her, Regina gasped. No one ever called Mama by her name. Only her Daddy had, when he'd still been alive. Her face fell a bit at the thought of her Daddy. She still missed him, and missed him terribly, but Mama had told her never to talk about him.

But Mama was talking again now, and Regina titled her head to pay attention. A lady must always be present in the conversation, lest she miss anything important. "You know better than to address me so informally. What is the meaning of this?" she growled, turning away from Regina in a whirl of her skirts. Regina didn't mind; Mama was scary when she got like this. She stalked toward the door, hand raised to tighten the invisible bonds holding Hook. "You know you are never-"

"Never to interrupt the magic lesson. Yes, I know. But I have a very good reason for doing so… your majesty," he had the nerve to smile, as if it would be enough to get him out of trouble.

Slowly, Mama stepped close enough to removed all distance between them, reaching to detach the man's hook-hand and run the tip of it down his face. "Really," she mused, and her voice was low and dangerous in the back of her throat. "What could possibly be so important." Regina knew that tone. It wasn't really a question- more of a demand.

The man's smile fell away. Swallowing visibly enough that Regina could watch the way his throat moved, he coughed, looking down at Mama with wide eyes. "…I have a gift for you." He sounded like that was all the reason in the world for interrupting. "Something you've been wanting for quite some time. It's just outside."

Regina watched Mama raise an eyebrow, and had to wonder if that meant she was going to allow him to live today or not. The hook left his skin, and she returned it to its place at the end of his arm. Turning away from him and stepping back to her daughter, she waved her hand behind her and the bonds that held him faded away. She reached her hand out, and Regina took it quickly so that Mama would not get cross with her, too. "Show me."

Nodding his head again, this time with a bit more deference, the scratchy-faced man led the way through the halls of the castle and out to one of the battlements, finally stopping to point below. In the courtyard, Regina could see a young woman, shackled at the wrists and ankles and around the neck and surrounded by guards on every side. Noting the presence of her and Mama, one of the guards stood to attention, and shouted a few that Regina couldn't hear at the imprisoned female. Apparently trying to get her to kneel before the Queen.

Beside her, Mama took in a breath, and Regina had to turn and look at her. Mama seemed genuinely excited, as if she knew something secret about this woman. She dropped her hand to place both on the stone of the battlements, leaning forward eagerly. "Wherever did you find her?" she asked the man.

"Oh, you know," Regina could hear him laughing behind her, but did not turn to look. "Around."

A smile full of anticipation graced red lips. "Watch, Regina," she instructed, and though confused, the princess turned her head back to look at the chained woman below. "See what she does."

She wasn't sure what she was waiting for- what exactly could a woman who was all chained up and surrounded by guards do? But she didn't have to wait long to find out. The moment the foolish guard's hand touched her shoulder, the chained woman snarled, her eyes yellowing with a glow ferocious enough even to be seen from above. Fur bristled beneath flesh, and the shackles were ripped away as long, clawed limbs replaced arms and legs. Jaws filled with teeth snapped at the idiot guard, and the courtyard was sprayed with red. Regina's favorite color.

Regina gasped, but stepped forward like her Mama to watch. The other guards shouted, rushing to draw their swords as the wolf lunged, the dying man falling beneath in a crunch of bones as the wolf-woman turned with murder in her golden gaze to her next victim, sword be damned.

"Magnificent," Mama murmured, watching the bloodbath below with only appreciative eyes.

Beside her, Regina's eyes were wide, the black and white marble of the courtyard quickly replaced with splashes of her favorite color. She felt her mother's hand on her shoulder, and forced her eyes away from the carnage still raging to glance into eyes far darker than her own.

Mama was smiling, her teeth gleaming. "What do you think, my dear? Shall I keep her?"

Blinking, Regina glanced from her mother to the wolf and back. "…Keep her, Mama?"

Mama chuckled as the last of her guards abandoned his weapons, screaming and running towards the door to the inner keep of the castle. "Of course, dear. A Queen needs a pet wolf, I think." With a wave of her hand, Mama locked the door before the last guard could pull it open, and he screamed, banging on it with his fists. The woman-who-was-a-wolf growled behind him, and then lunged again. Mama kept laughing, a rich, delighted, frightening sound. She waited until the guard was just another heap of broken bones and mangled flesh before she snapped her fingers, and the woman-wolf could no longer move.

Another wave of Mama's hand and they were disappearing in a wave of purple smoke. Gasping, Regina wanted clutch at her mother's arm, but knew better. Mama would only get upset, but she hated when Mama did this without telling her. The courtyard was pristine again, every trace of blood and gore swept away as if it had never been. The doors to the castle opened behind them, a new wave of guards stormed in to circle behind Regina and her mother. Mama paid them no mind, stepping boldly towards the frozen wolf, her hand reaching out to caress over the blood-stained muzzle.

In a shower of sparks and smoke, the wolf changed shape, back into the young woman once again. She was shuddering, panting, body stiff from the magic Mama had just done on her. Regina wondered if it hurt, turning back into a human when you'd just been a wolf. Or if Mama had hurt her, doing it for her. But the woman-wolf didn't scream, and her eyes were back to being brown as they glared at Mama, her chin still held in the Queen's hand.

"Do you have a name, pet?" Mama's voice was sweet like honey, her touch looking soft now- a caress of her gloves as she wiped away flecks of red from skin the color of fresh cream.

The chin pulled back a tiny bit, and Regina knew that she was still being held frozen by her Mama's spell. The woman spat, a wad of bloody saliva landing directly on Mama's cheek. "My name is Anita. And I'm not your pet."

Regina gasped.

Mama only looked at her, and Regina couldn't tell if she was shocked or angry or impressed. She wiped her cheek with the back of her free hand. And without a word, the other slipped down around Anita-the-wolf-woman's neck, and clenched. "Mmm… I think I'll enjoy taming you, dear." Mama laughed.

She was growling against Mama's hand, her eyes looking like they were trying to turn yellow again, but it wasn't working right. She was trying to look strong, Regina thought, but her voice was wheezy when she spat out: "You can try."

In a flash of motion, Mama's hand had shot out deep into the woman's chest, a strangled gasp of shock ending that moment of attempted bravado. "You foolish girl," Mama laughed. "I'm the Queen of Hearts!" The glowing, pulsating organ in question was ripped from the wolf-woman's chest in a single sweep, thumping strongly in Mama's hand. "I don't need to try." And then Mama squeezed.

She fell to her knees as she had refused to do before, screaming in agony as her heart was squeezed. Her eyes darted away, looking beyond the queen. Looking at Regina. Regina looked back, unblinking and unpitying. She didn't need to look at the heart to know it was the color of Mama's rubies now, or to know that if Mama squeezed just a little more, it wouldn't have any color at all. But Mama didn't crush it completely. After a moment, she let up.

Panting and gasping on the marble of the floor, Anita-the-wolf-woman looked up at Mama. She looked scared. Mama didn't even notice, busy putting the heart in a box she'd just summoned. Only when it was placed inside did she cast her eyes down. She was smiling. With a grin, she waved her hand, and fur was once again sprouting over the woman's body, rendering her wolf once more.

The wolf snapped at Mama's hand. Mama lurched it back, and then glared, summoning the heart to her instantly and squeezing yet again. The wolf yelped in pain, and then again in what sounded like fear, Anita-the-wolf curled in on her self, nose to tail, and actually whimpered. Regina felt bad for her, wanting to lightly stroke her hair like she would any sad little puppy.

But her mother was there first, the heart once again gone from her grasp. Her hands ran almost soothing over grey fur. "You _are _my pet. My new little wolf," she purred down at the woman, bending down to run fingers over the cringing muzzle, the wolf shaking from the memory of her heart being squeezed or else the forced change. "Obey my orders like a good dog, and you'll be rewarded. Defy me, and there will be… consequences." Another wave, and she was a woman once more. This time, Anita-the-wolf screamed as the last of her change took hold of her, involuntary tears falling down her face. But she allowed Mama to keep stroking her, as muzzle receding back to lips.

"Open your mouth," Mama ordered.

Her lips were quivering, but she complied, looking up with eyes brimming once again with tears.

"Good girl." Mama ran her fingers down her cheeks, collecting the tears on her thumb, and then brought them to the open mouth. Slowly, the woman-wolf took the thumb between her lips and drank her own tears.

Mama chuckled, and ran her free hand through the tangled hair. "Very good," she said again. Rising, Mama turned away and glanced sideways at one of the guards. "Take her to my bedchamber. I think I'll show her in more detail what happens when she behaves… and when she doesn't." She reached out her hand blindly, and Regina automatically put hers in it again. Mama was in a good mood now, and she certainly didn't want to ruin it by being too willful.

* * *

—

* * *

"Do you like my pet, Regina?" Mama asked her one night at dinner, and the tone in her voice made it clear that it was no idle question. Mama wanted a real answer, and Regina would have to think about it before answering.

The pet in question was kneeling, docile and in human form, this time, beside Mama's chair. She didn't seem to be listening to their conversation- she never did- and often at mealtimes Regina would forget she was there at all, except for when she would lift her head up every so often to accept a morsel of food from Mama's fingers.

But Regina allowed herself to look over her now, studying. The woman-wolf looked up to meet the inspection, hesitant and unsure, but a glance from Mama had her sitting up straight. She looked so calm and obedient now- you'd never know what damage and destruction she was capable of. Regina had never forgotten the carnage she'd gotten to witness that day on the battlements.

Finally, after what seemed like several moments of surveying, Regina turned back to her mother. "Yes, Mama. I like her very much."

Mama's lips pulled back in a smile, and she ran her hand through the soft-looking, clean and braided hair of her pet. "The perfect little watchdog to protect me, wouldn't you say? So obedient… so strong." The woman-wolf looked up at Mama with blinking eyes, leaning into the caress just barely, but enough for Regina to notice. Mama purred at the reaction.

Not really sure if she was expecting an answer, Regina just nodded her head. "Yes, Mama."

"Would you like one of your own, dear, do you think?" Regina knew the question was directed at her, but Mama's eyes never left those of her pet, and Regina watched as the woman-wolf's expression grew wide and frantic-looking. Mama just raised an eyebrow at her, as if daring her to disobey.

Regina cleared her throat, again not sure if she was really supposed to answer. "…Yes, Mama. I'd like that very much."

* * *

—

* * *

Regina wasn't quite sure how it all happened- Mama had explained a lot to her about sex and how it cold be used for power, but the actual mechanics were something, she said, she'd save for when she was a little older. All Regina really knew was that there had been an extremely loud argument from Mama's side of the castle one night several months ago, and she hadn't seen the scratchy-faced man since.

The servants had gone in the next day with their buckets of soapy water, and when they'd come out the water had been dark and red- her favorite color.

And now the tummy of Mama's pet was getting very round.

* * *

—

* * *

It was a few months later that Mama summoned her to her own chambers, and Regina knew as she entered that she had to be very quiet and calm and mustn't touch anything. She was never allowed in here.

Mama's pet was looking extremely tired, curled up at the foot of Mama's big bed and all bundled up in furs like she was sick. At her side sat Mama, running her fingers through the loose and unkempt hair of her pet. Regina could hardly believe she'd allow anyone to see her pet in such a state. Beside them, a small bundle was on the bed. And it was squirming.

Mama told her to come closer, to where she was sitting on the bed, and when she got close enough, Mama reached over and put the moving bundle of fabric in Regina's arms. She gasped, holding out her arms automatically and cradling the unbelievably tiny wolf puppy like it was made of glass.

The puppy whined a bit, shuffling its little face forward, blind eyes and wrinkled, fuzzy skin moving as one. Regina stared at it for a long, silent moment before her face split open into a grin, and one hand moved to lightly caress over the downy fur.

She heard her mother chuckle beside her, but she didn't look up, too entranced when the tiny wolf found her fingertip and tried to suckle at it. Mama laughed even more at that. "What are you going to name her, dear?"

The six-year old princess' eyes grew to the size of saucers, and her head snapped to glance at her mother before gaping back to the newly-born cub. "…She… she's mine?"

Mama's arm tightened a bit around her shoulders. "She will be, when she's a bit older and stronger. For now she has to stay with her mother. But soon, my love, she'll be your little pet, to care for and to protect you, just like Mama's. So you'll need to think of a good name for her."

The necklace at Mama's throat shone in the light of the moon, reflecting into dark, young eyes as she stared at the puppy in her arms.

"Ruby," Regina decided with a smile, eyes never leaving the form of the tiny wolfpup, still sucking determinedly at her finger. "…But I think I'll call her Red."


End file.
